PREGNANCY · BIRTH · POSTPARTUM
Honouring pregnancy
as medicine and
a rite of passage.
Bring your questions, your excitement, the things you haven’t quite found words for. We can start wherever you are.
I’m Kiki, a doula accompanying women and their partners in Leiden and the surrounding areas.
Let’s get to know each otherDoula in training in Leiden and surrounding areas.
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WALKING WITH YOU
A way that
feels like your own.
We can meet while pregnancy is still a thought, or when your baby is already growing within you, and continue together through birth and the weeks after.
I would like to know how you are living this time, what you and your partner are feeling and where you could use some care. From those conversations, we can find a way of walking together that feels like your own.
THE PERSON BESIDE YOU
Hi, I’m Kiki.
It’s lovely to meet you.
I would like you to feel comfortable enough with me to let a conversation wander, or to sit for a moment without needing to say anything.
My learning in traditional midwifery from Indigenous communities in Latin America shapes how I understand care: the body, our inner life and the relationships that hold us belong together. I continue learning with respect for the women and communities who share this knowledge.
I’m based in Leiden and completing my doula certification with BIA Doula. I would love to hear a little about you.
Let’s meetTHE WAY I UNDERSTAND CARE
Pregnancy
as medicine
Water, earth, fire and air.
I understand pregnancy as medicine through the way it comes to move the elements within us.
When I think of water, earth, fire and air, I feel how close we are to what moves in nature. During pregnancy, that movement can become intimate; your body asks for something unfamiliar, a feeling rises, and the way you have known yourself begins to change. Your partner may be changing too, as each of you discovers what becoming a parent means and how you want to support one another.
My learning in traditional midwifery gives me a way of accompanying this movement with attention to body, mind and spirit. We can take time to feel what is happening, without needing to understand it all at once.
FOR YOUR PARTNER, TOO
Room to be
close to each other.
My purpose is to take care of the practical things around you, so your partner can give their attention to being with you.
I can bring water, help you find a comfortable position and attend to what is needed around you, while your partner holds your hand or stays close as you breathe. They have someone to turn to as well, so they can be present with you as you welcome your baby. Bring any questions about this to our meeting; we can talk through what would feel right for both of you.
WHY A DOULA AT MY BIRTH?
To feel
accompanied.
During birth, you may want to close your eyes and let the weight of your body rest against someone you trust.
As your doula, I can stay beside you, attentive to what brings comfort. The care I am learning through traditional midwifery also keeps my attention on the mother after birth, when a warm meal, a blanket and time to rest can be ways of feeling held as she holds her baby.
We will follow the choices you and your partner make, at home or in hospital. Decisions about your body remain yours. I accompany you alongside the midwife and medical team responsible for your clinical care.
THE NAME OF THIS SPACE
Macayotl
Macayotl brings me to the umbilical cord, to the quiet connection through which a baby receives nourishment before knowing anything of the world outside.
I chose the name for its association with the cord and lineage in accounts of Nahua birth traditions in Mexico. For me, it carries a question about how we continue to hold one another as we grow and become separate, and how the care we have received finds its way into the care we give.
About the word
A UNAM account of childbirth in pre-Hispanic Mexico uses macayotl in connection with the umbilical cord, lineage and rope. The Online Nahuatl Dictionary records mecayotl for ancestry or lineage, related to mecatl, cord. Macayotl is the name I have chosen for this space, inspired by these connections.
UNAM · Birth and motherhood in pre-Hispanic Mexico
Online Nahuatl Dictionary · Mecayotl
A FEW PRACTICAL THINGS
You might
be wondering.
What does your support include?
Your care is entirely personal, because every person finds their own way into motherhood and parenthood. Our free first meeting is a chance to hear your story and understand what you and your partner need. From there, we’ll shape your support together and talk through visits, availability and price.
What if I want an epidural or a hospital birth?
We can explore the options available to you, including pain relief and where you give birth, so you have space to ask questions and decide what feels right for you. I’ll be beside you in whatever you decide, and if you change your mind, there’s room for that too.
How do you work with my partner and midwife?
I support you and your partner emotionally and practically. Your midwife and medical team remain responsible for clinical care.
When should we get in touch?
Whenever you feel ready, even before pregnancy. You’re also welcome to ask about availability later on. I’m based in Leiden and the surrounding area.
OUR FIRST CONVERSATION
We can begin
wherever you are.
We can sit together, with your partner or on your own, and begin with whatever you would like to tell me. You can ask your questions and take time afterwards to feel whether you would like me beside you.
Let’s arrange a free consultationYou’re welcome to write to me
doula.kiki@macayotl.com
You can also find me on Instagram
@doula.kiki
A few gentle questions, then we’ll find a time to meet on WhatsApp.